1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a base material composition for use in dental treatment and more particularly to a base material composition mainly comprising alumina cement and which is fit for use in dental pulp capping materials, canal filling materials, sealing agents, alveolar bone reconstruction materials and the like.
2. Prior Art
In the field of dental treatment, various materials are used as a canal filling or capping material. The canal filling material heals an infected canal by blocking the pulp cavity after the pulp tissue has been lost. The canal capping material protects the dental pulp in the case of cavity preparation. However, the fact is that there has so far been no satisfactory material available.
A description will now be given of the materials described above with reference to a canal filling material as an example. The most desirable canal filling material generally includes non-irritation, non-toxicity, affinity with tissue and adaptability to canal walls, antibacterial effects or healing effects, high strength, unchangeability in volume, insolubility in tissue fluid, removable and recurable properties, contrasting property, ease of handling and the like. With respect to the contrasting property mentioned above, mixing of a suitable contrast medium into the material may make desirable filling material, however, conditions greatly depend upon the properties of the base material itself of the canal filling material.
For example, one of the typical canal filling materials used widely today is a base material of a zinc oxide eugenol type. However, since this is an acidic material, it has an irritating property and has no healing effect. Another typical example of a canal filling material is one which is used in a base material of a calcium hydroxide type. However, since this is low in strength and is a strong alkaline material, it may deteriorate the tissue. The calcium hydroxide type material is likely to gradually convert into a calcium carbonate. Besides, although a formaldehyde type base material or an iodoform type based material are used as a canal filling material, such filling material has both merits and demerits. In this manner, there has been developed no materials which satisfy the above conditions.